Education Events & Special Programmes

19th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2025-2026 – Results

We are delighted to announce the winners of the JAL Foundation 18th World Children's Haiku Contest 2025-2026 on the theme of Sound. The Japan Society would like to thank everyone for their support of this year’s contest.

Judges were faced with the difficult task of choosing the winners from hundreds of wonderful entries and were impressed with the diversity of responses to this year's theme. The judge from The Japan Society commented: "I had so much fun judging! The depth of feeling conveyed in so few words as well as the quality of the accompanying artworks was mindblowing. We sometimes forget or oversimplify the richness of children's experiences and emotions and art like this shines a beautiful light into their thoughts."

The results are also displayed on the JAL Foundation website. See below for all the winners for this year's contest.

JAL Grand Prize Winners | JAL Prize Winners

JAL Grand Prize Winners

This busy street
no one stops to notice
the quiet robin

Charlie, Age 14
1st place

Soft whispers at night
grandma's voice glows in my heart
silence hugs me tight

Elizabeth, Age 9
2nd place

Blazing summer's heat
beady-eye heist in action
swoosh, screech and scoff - gone!

Mason, Age 10
3rd place

Sharp bark wakes the calm
ripples shiver on the stream
shh – mom is dreaming

Christopher, Age 12
4th place

Storm clouds in winter
Breaks as my heart pours out loss
Silence becomes snow

Orla, Age 13
5th place

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JAL Prize Winners

Sighing wind blows by
Pitter patter raindrops fall
squeaky sloshy booots

Amelia K, Age 12

What is that strange noise?
A melody fills my ears
a voice calls my name

Hannah, Age 10

The computer hums,
singing the song of future
long after the past

Avery, Age 8

Birds sing their morning song
Wind dances through the lush green leaves
spring has come

Shun, Age 10

Salty waves and sand
rush in between my wet toes
fishing life is good

Ben, Age 12

Curled up in my lap
trills gently caress my ears
therapy for me

Yaroslava, Age 15

The astronaut laughs
red rockets roar and stars sing
but space has no sound

Liliana, Age 14

Wind howls in the night
Rushing through the crispy leaves
to kiss you on the cheek

Nicholoas, Age 9

At the boiling beach
looking for some shade and peace
seagulls cry for chips

Meg, Age 10

Tiny little lungs
Fresh cries that pierce the air
her first words are sounds

Amelia P, Age 13

Snow cracks under boots
An owl screeches in the dark
the silence screams back

Nathan, Age 12

Echoes of the night
impossible to capture
keeping me awake

Neeti, Age 10

Crickets buzz in fields
while babies pick daisies
and sometimes eat them

Anakin, Age 9

Rooftop cooing
in gentle glowing sunlight
day begins with songs

Sofia T, Age 7

Crackle in the hearth,
warmth flows up frozen fingers,
family again

Sara, Age 12

Children memories
faint voices and equpiment
playground slowly fades

Alexandra, Age 14

The bello rings softly
echoes drift down empty halls
where we once sat close

Dhanvi, Age 14

Sheepdog on the bay
sleeping like a baby
scottish sea lullaby

Ceilidh, Age 8

Sound arcs in rainbows
fingerprints worn into keys
wrong notes turn to jazz

Jet, Age 15

Busy morning train
rain gently patters outside marshmallows
a girl lost in pages

Sofia A, Age 10

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19th World Children’s Haiku Contest 2025-2026

Write a haiku and design accompanying artwork to be in with the chance of winning a Canon digital camera!

About the Contest

The first Haiku Contest was organised by the JAL Foundation in 1990 and has been held every two years since then. Japan Airlines, with support and assistance from The Japan Society, is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 Contest.

The theme of this year's contest is "Sound". Compose your own haiku and submit it with accompanying artwork for a chance to win a Canon Zoemini S2! Individual and school entries are both welcome.

Entries should be submitted to The Japan Society by Friday 20 March 2026.

Rules and Entry Guidelines

Applications

One entry per child (either typed or handwritten) on the theme of "Sound".
Applicants must be the age of 15 and under as of 20 March 2026.
The haiku must be accompanied by hand-drawn or hand-crafted artwork on the same page, using A4-sized paper (21cm x 29.7cm) or letter sized paper (8.5in. x 11in.).
Glue the application form on the back of the work.
Please note that The Japan Society can only receive entries from applicants based in the UK.

Composition

Any form of artwork (except photographs or digital images) can be submitted.
Every entry must be the original and unpublished work of the child themself. Assistance by others (parents, other adults, siblings, or other children) is prohibited.
The haiku must be presented in three short lines.
All rights (for compositions and artwork) will be reserved by JAL Foundation.

Contest Results

Contest results will be announced on the JAL Foundation and The Japan Society websites in July 2026.
Grand Prize Winners will be awarded a Canon Zoemini S2 camera.
Grand Prize Winners will also be automatically entered for the chance to win a Special Commendation Prize, of which three entries will be selected as outstanding works and receive special certificates and prizes. The results of this will be announced in August 2026.

How to enter

Group & School Entries

Entries from the same school may be parcelled together for submission. Each entry must have an application form glued to the back with the applicant's name and age filled in (the other fields are not mandatory for school entries).

The parcel must also include the United Kingdom Application Form for Schools.

Individual Entries

Please complete and attach the application form to the back of all entries. The applicant’s name, age and contact details must be clearly marked on the reverse. Please note that The Japan Society can only receive entries from applicants based in the UK.

School, group and individual entries should all be sent to:

Haiku Contest
The Japan Society
13/14 Cornwall Terrace
London NW1 4QP

Haiku Tips

Haiku are short poems split over three lines and usually contain a seasonal word. Did you know that haiku don’t have to be 7-5-7 syllables in English? For more tips on writing great haiku, download the Beyond 5-7-5 booklet and check out our short film How to Haiku.

You can also read the haiku from the winners and runners-up of the 18th World Children’s Haiku contest 2023-2024 on the theme 'Family' for inspiration.

Contact Us

For more information on the JAL Foundation or to enter the Haiku Contest from outside the UK, please visit the JAL Foundation website.

If you have any questions regarding the competition in the UK please contact the Japan Society Education Team on education@japansociety.org.uk